Coinbase just gave AI agents their own set of crypto keys. Well, sort of.
Base, the company’s Ethereum Layer-2 network, launched Base MCP on May 26, creating a gateway that lets AI agents connect directly with users’ smart wallets to perform onchain actions like token swaps, portfolio tracking, and DeFi interactions. The system works through what’s called the Model Context Protocol, an open-source standard originally introduced by Anthropic back in November 2024.
In English: you can now tell Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor to manage your crypto portfolio using plain language prompts, and the AI will actually execute transactions on Base through a standardized plug-in system.
How Base MCP actually works
Base MCP uses a non-custodial design, meaning the MCP server never accesses users’ private keys. Authentication runs through OAuth 2.1, the same security protocol that underpins login systems across much of the modern web. Every single transaction requires explicit user approval through the Base Account interface.
